Since its premiere in 2018, All American began following Spencer James, played by Daniel Ezra, a high school football player from Crenshaw who is recruited to play at Beverly Hills High. All American chronicles Spencer and his friends' and family's lives as they face various ups and downs and decide what they want to do with their futures.

The football scenes, dramatic stories, and lovable but imperfect characters made the series great, but when it came to season 7, many of All American season 7 attempted to return more focus to the high school arena, and since its older characters have all graduated and most moved on, this means new main characters were introduced. While their stories continued to be entertaining, and some original characters did make guest appearances, the series just isn't the same anymore.

All American Season 7 Proves The Show Isn't The Same Without The Original Main Cast

Many Of The Original Cast Chose To Say Goodbye

Part of what got many viewers hooked on All American from the start was its great cast and their characters' compelling stories, so the season 7 cast changes fundamentally changed the show. Though some shows have been able to phase out characters and integrate new ones successfully, it is difficult to replace beloved characters with ones completely unknown to longtime viewers. This feels especially true for Daniel Ezra's Spencer James. Though Ezra appeared as a guest star in season 7, his story already felt finished.

By the reported budget changes at The CW, which could impact the series going forward as well.

All American Season 7 Was Still Enjoyable, But Feels Like A Different Story

The Series Pivoted Away From Who It Had Always Been About

All American season 7 was still a fun, gripping watch, but without many of the best characters, the show simply feels too different now. Continuing Jordan, Layla, and Coop's stories helps maintain some connection to the past seasons, but the series always felt most centered around Spencer's story. From the outset, the series was really framed around Spencer James' choices and where he ended up as the seasons progressed. While the other characters were also in leading roles, the story was contingent upon his arrival on the team.

Given that All American's season 6 ending set up many of its characters' big life changes or gave them resolved, happy endings, there were only a few questions that season 7 still needed to explore. The season was then able to do this while introducing its new generation of high school characters, but it still seems hard to gauge where the show wants to go from here. While there were some very entertaining moments in All American season 7, and it saw its remaining characters face new challenges, the season may have served better to resolve the remaining plots.

All American Season 8 Is The Right Time To End The Show After Resolving Season 7's Cliffhanger

One More Season Could Wrap Up The Characters' Stories For Good

Though season 7 felt a lot different from the other seasons of All American, the remaining characters do still deserve to have their stories resolved. All American Season 7 ends on a cliffhanger that leaves audiences wondering whether Beverly Hills High or Crenshaw won the football game. This unanswered question, and what the game represents for the show's characters, would make season 7's ending a disappointing end to the series as a whole, so it could be more satisfying for season 8 to wrap the story up.

All American has not yet been renewed for season 8, so it remains to be seen whether its characters' stories will end in cliffhangers...

All American's spinoff series, All American: Homecoming, already ended last September, finishing that part of the story. With many of its characters' fates already confirmed, All American could use season 8 to conclude its remaining original characters' stories and leave its younger additions in a good place. All American has not yet been renewed for season 8, so it remains to be seen whether its characters' stories will end in cliffhangers or if the fantastic series will be given more time to reach its conclusion.